Test Drive
by Trish47
Summary: Annie has something to tell Auggie. Where does she choose to open up to him? A car dealership. Pre-ep for S2 finale "Letter Never Sent." Mostly fluff. Oneshot.


**After the promo for the finale, I just couldn't keep this idea out of my head. So, this is my interpretation of what could happen with the whole "Annie confessing her feelings" plot based on the promo. This is a one-shot. Enjoy!  
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**Disclaimer: Chris Ord, Matt Corman, and NBC Universal are the rightful owners to this amazing show. I just like to borrow the characters. I'm not making any money, etc., etc. **

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><p><span>Test-Drive<span>

It felt like she was betraying him, cheating on him with the sleek, new models.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said. "I love Clark."

Auggie sighed as he opened the door to the car dealership and held it for her. "Annie, that piece of scrap metal you drive is a safety hazard. It's time to let him go."

He was right, of course. That didn't make it any easier to say goodbye to her beloved red Volkswagen, even if it had suddenly conked out on her in the middle of a D.C. intersection. It would be cheaper to buy a new car than fix the transmission that had finally given out, and her end-of-the-year bonus would eat up most of the cost, but Annie still didn't like being forced into the decision.

Why did this have to happen to her now?

She'd had one hell of a week. It had started out nicely—a girl's getaway in Stockholm with her sister. After her busy year—and Danielle's fight with Michael where she had accused him of being unappreciative and an absentee father—Annie relished the rare chance to travel with her big sister, enjoy spa treatments, and drink mimosas at breakfast for a whole week.

Two days into the trip, everything had gone terribly wrong. They'd gotten caught up in some serious trouble, and all because of Annie's job. Danielle had been shot at, they'd had to run for their lives, and Annie was left questioning whether she'd ever have a normal relationship with her family again.

Now, on top of her less than relaxing vacation, Clark had gone and called it quits. Maybe Annie had run him into the ground, taken him on too many high speed chases. The Volkswagen wasn't exactly designed for evasive driving tactics. Or, maybe she was guilty of habitually losing track of when her car needed tune-ups, and that neglect had finally done Clark in.

As she and Auggie strolled into the Volkswagen showroom, he gave her one rule for their shopping excursion: "No more hatchbacks."

She laughed, scanning the room for something that caught her eye. "What's wrong with hatchbacks?"

"Annie, a car is a reflection of its driver," he said seriously. "A hatchback just doesn't fit. You need a car that complements you. Think of it like a purse. You wouldn't pair a fanny pack with a Versace."

She smiled over his explanation and his sideways compliment. Auggie had jumped at the opportunity to car shop with her and seemed to be taking pleasure in helping her pick out a new ride. Annie started to wonder if he had been harboring a secret hatred for her Volkswagen Golf all this time.

"Did you have something in mind?" Annie asked as she came to a stop in the center of the room. The pale blue car located there had immediately appealed to her. Every time her eyes swept over the different vehicles, her gaze lingered on this one.

Auggie drew his hand away from her elbow to better describe his vision using both hands. "You need something stylish and smart. A car that's sexy, but not loud. Something like a. . ."

He struggled to find the perfect car in his mind, so Annie put in her own suggestion: "Like a convertible?"

His hands dropped to his sides, and he nodded in approval. "Yeah, that would do it."

Annie walked around the shiny convertible and looked it over from top to bottom. When she completed her circle, she opened the driver side door and took a seat. The black leather squeaked slightly as she adjusted herself. She closed her eyes, gripped the steering wheel, and tried to picture driving the car around the beltway.

"I like this one," she said.

Auggie leaned down, rested his arms on the side of the door, and grinned. "Hadn't pegged you as an impulse buyer."

She smiled. "I can't explain it, but I'm just drawn to this one," she told him. Then she maneuvered herself over the gearshift into the passenger seat and popped the driver side door open, saying, "Test it out. Tell me what you think."

A flash of confusion shot over his face, as though he was wondering how she'd moved from one seat to the other so effortlessly, but then he got behind the wheel. "It's been a long time since I was in the driver's seat," he commented, fully settling into the cushion.

Annie watched as he gripped the steering wheel tentatively, then reached out and ran his hands over the console, acquainting himself with the layout of the car.

"What color is it?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Because everything else about it seems great."

She agreed with him on that; it did seem like a great car. "It's a pale blue," she informed him.

After a beat he responded with: "Well, I guess it can't be perfect."

"I like it," Annie repeated.

"Then get it."

Annie thought it over. The car was comfortably in her price range. It felt good. It looked good. It had the safety features that she needed. And it was still a Volkswagen—she was loyal to the brand after owning Clark for so many years. There was only one drawback.

"It's a two-seater," she commented. "I won't be able to take the girls anywhere. Danielle distrusts convertibles."

"You could try telling her that the car is only as safe as the driver," Auggie suggested. "A drunk driving a Hummer is just as likely to get themselves killed as a drunk driving a tricycle."

Annie laughed at that outrageous comparison. "Somehow, I don't think that's a very accurate argument."

"No," he agreed with a chuckle, "It probably wouldn't work."

Annie knew that her sister really would hate the car. Danielle would say that purchasing the convertible was just another dangerous choice Annie had made, just like joining the CIA. After their race for their lives in Stockholm, Annie knew that she'd never convince Danielle that her lifestyle wasn't dangerous. Even if Annie didn't always feel that her life was at stake, she couldn't deny that she faced more peril on a daily basis than many people would face in their entire lives.

"Something wrong?" Auggie asked softly. "You've gone awfully quiet over there."

"Spaced out," Annie half-lied.

"Thinking about. . .?" he prompted.

"My sister." She paused, debating on whether or not this was the time to unload her leftover baggage from her most recent mission. But, Auggie had a way of drawing out her inner troubles and doubts; it was that look of genuine concern that always got to her. So, Annie continued: "What would I have done if I had lost her? What if I had gotten Danielle killed?"

He turned toward her and leaned in closer, lowering his voice even further. "Annie, you can't think like that. You both got out alive. That's all that matters."

She nodded silently, still caught up in the gruesome possibilities. Nearly losing Danielle had made her think about a lot of things in the past forty-eight hours. Like she did after every difficult mission, Annie had reevaluated her dedication to the job; her mind hadn't changed. She still loved working for the CIA. But, more and more she was beginning to realize that there were significant sacrifices and consequences for being a spy.

While the action in Stockholm had ultimately brought the sisters closer together, Annie realized how removed she had become from other relationships. Besides her family, every good friend she had worked for the Agency. Making friends outside of the workplace was difficult, and, in the end, she felt guilty for having to lie to them. It made her realize how much she valued the relationships she had, especially her unique connection with Auggie.

"I need to tell you something," she told him, her tone suddenly serious.

"All ears."

"I know it's going to sound silly, but I want you to know how much you mean to me, how much I appreciate you," she started. An overwhelming sense of happiness filled her at the confession, and it brought a thickness to her voice that was unfamiliar to her. "A lot of times we forget to tell the people we care about how much they mean to us, and Stockholm reminded me that there's always the chance we might not get to say it. I don't want that to happen with you."

"Annie. . ." he whispered.

She was fighting to hold back tears. Her rational side thought it was ridiculous to cry over something like this, but her emotions threatened to take control. Annie inhaled deeply and laughed a little at herself for making such a scene—in a car dealership of all places.

"I want you to know, that I'm not just your friend, Auggie," she told him softly, but firmly. "And I hope I'm more than a friend to you."

She wasn't trying to make a pass at him. Right now, sex with Auggie was the last thing on her mind. She did love him, more than she had imagined, more than she had been aware of before her sister pointed out the obvious.

_I may not be a spy like you, but your voice changes a little when you talk to him._

The difference was that sense of love she felt for her best friend. Maybe—someday in the far future—they would be more than that. But she wasn't going to rush it, wasn't going to screw up the close bond they had now without being truly ready for the consequences if things didn't work out. If something romantic between them was meant to happen, it would come to pass in time. For Auggie, she was willing to wait.

Auggie cleared his throat and said, "You're _much_ more to me than a friend, Annie."

She smiled and instinctively reached out, covering his hand with hers to let him know she understood. They didn't need to say anything else to acknowledge how much they meant to one another. Small touches were enough. For now.

"Hello there!" a booming voice suddenly called from behind them, startling them both. They weren't even able to hide it from the salesman. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya."

Annie removed her hand from Auggie's, composed herself quickly, and said, "It's okay."

"So, were you interested in the Eos then? Great car. Great car," the man repeated, speaking rapidly. "Like to take her for a test drive?"

Annie was about to tell the man that she was already prepared to look at financing options, but Auggie had other ideas.

"You should," he insisted. "As much as you love it, you should take it for a test run first."

She gave in and fished out her driver's license for the salesman.

"Be back in a jiffy," the salesman told them and hurried off.

Annie reclined back in the seat, already getting a feel for the car. It just felt right.

"Have a name picked out yet?" Auggie asked her, his tone teasing.

She pondered for a moment, then answered, "Yes. I'm going to name her Lois."

Auggie burst into laughter and only sobered up when the salesman came back.

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><p><strong>AN: I'd be okay with something like this happening on the show. While I want them to get together, I think it would be too sudden for Annie to (1) realize that she loves Auggie in a romantic way, AND (2) actually confess that to him. I'm a shipper who likes a bit of angst. Okay, a lot of angst. ;)**

**I'd love it you reviewed or left me your predictions on the finale!**

**On a separate, though slightly related, note: Does the car dealership thing remind anyone else of the scene from the "Welcome to Liberty Village" episode of _Alias_? I'm not trying to compare the shows (anymore), but I do find it funny that emotional scenes coincide with the purchase of a vehicle. Haha. Could this have anything to do with the episode being penned by Matt and Chris (in other words: men)? Just wondering. . .**


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